Conventionally gas plasma discharge of flash tubes in response to electronic trigger release of charges accumulated on capacitors have been used substantially universally in stroboscope systems as set forth for example by Nakajima in U.S. Pat. No. 4,258,297, Mar. 24, 1981. However, these systems are very limited in the top recurrence frequency of the strobing and could not be applicable to the investigation of high frequency recurring phenomena in a moving object, such as for example the visual study of the surface characteristics of a piezo electric body oscillating at very high frequency. Nor is it feasible with plasma discharges to vary light flash durations, colors and other lighting characteristics in order to highlight different kinds of viewing surfaces.
Also, it is known that ordinary light may be gated with electronic pulse controlled liquid crystal sheets by means of electronic control of light polarization in the crystal sheets to provide a viewing window through which ordinary light is directed as an alternative to plasma discharges in stroboscopic systems, as taught by Rotello in U.S. Pat. No. 4,600,300, Jul. 15, 1986. Such strobing is limited to a top strobing frequency of about 3.5 megaherz. Furthermore, the light contrast available on the moving object being observed with polarized crystals is subject to a high signal-to-noise ratio. Further limitations of this system include the inability to vary lighting conditions on the surface of moving objects being viewed to improve contrast or to highlight different kinds of surface texture, color of regions, etc.
The prior art has failed to provide an improved comprehensive and versatile strobe system of the nature provided hereinafter. The prior art is limited to lower frequency motion study and to very narrow restrictions on versatility of lighting conditions upon the movable object being viewed. Also it is not possible with conventional prior art systems to view moving objects microscopically or to photograph microscopic areas displaying dynamic motion characteristics.
It is therefore an object of this invention to provide an improved strobe system overcoming deficiencies in the prior art such as those hereinbefore set out.
One more specific objective of this invention is to push back the frontiers of the strobe system art to view recurring motion characteristics of higher frequency than heretofore feasible and to improve visibility of a variety of surface characteristics of a nature not feasible heretofore.
Another specific objective of the invention is to employ the versatile characteristics of phonon light emitting sources and solid state light emission phenomena, such as exhibited in LED light emitting elements, to the specific problems set forth in stroboscopic systems.
Still another objective of the invention is to provide stroboscopic systems capable of dynamic selection of light colors and light regions for viewing movable objects.
Further it is an objective of the invention to provide techniques of lighting a movable object for stroboscopic viewing consistent with very high frequency motion in the presence of very short light flash durations.
It is further an objective of the invention to provide systems and methods of microscopically viewing and photographing a moving body stroboscopically, particularly to enable observations such as microscopic changes of crystalline structure in response to such influences as electromagnetic fields of very high frequencies.
Other objects, and features of the invention will be found throughout the following description, claims and drawings.